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The Three Lions’ biggest test will come in the final group game against Belgium (Picture: Getty)

With just a week to go until the start of the World Cup, anticipation is starting to reach fever pitch. The tournament kicks off in Moscow on Thursday evening as hosts Russia take on Saudi Arabia, and Metro.co.uk will be previewing each group ahead of the big kick-off.

Here, we take a look at Group G which sees England take on one of the tournament’s perennial dark horses, Belgium. The Red Devils’ Golden Generation are loaded with some of the Premier League’s biggest stars. Can Gareth Southgate stop them? Will England stick with a back three? And can they avoid another Costa Rica-style banana skin?…

TALKING POINT: WHO SHOULD SUPPORT KANE & STERLING?

The Man City and Spurs stars scored 48 Premier League goals between them (Picture: Getty)

For the first time in a long time, England will go to the World Cup with a bona fide super star. Harry Kane may have missed out on a third successive Golden Boot last season, but he still scored a career high 30 Premier League goals and led the way for goals in the calendar year across Europe too. After a spell on the sidelines, he is looking fit and fresh again and netted with a typically fearsome drive in a recent friendly against Nigeria.

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But what is perhaps most interesting about the newly appointed skipper is how different his role is for England compared to Tottenham. Kane has always showed glimpses of his excellent hold-up play, but in Southgate’s slightly renegade formation there is far greater emphasis on him dropping deep, linking play and releasing runners beyond him. Raheem Sterling is playing a more central role as a result and actually had more shots (3) than any of his teammates against Nigeria – though he needs to improve his finishing, having failed to score for his country since 2015.

England squad's goal hauls in 2017/18 Premier League

With those two spots locked in, Southgate has a final dilemma in attack: Dele Alli or Jesse Lingard? There’s only one spot up for grabs unless a holding midfielder is sacrificed. The Spurs man is often frustrating, but when his first-time, one-touch, pass-and-move football comes off it can transform a team’s attacking play. Lingard is slightly less exciting – a hard worker, someone to retain shape – but offers a touch more solidity. Alternatively, if Southgate is feeling brave, perhaps he should field both with just a single holding midfielder.

GROUP OVERVIEW

Yet again, England marched through qualification unbeaten, topping a relatively easy group that contained Slovakia, Scotland, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta by an eight-point margin. However, they only scored 18 goals – 10 teams managed more, including Italy and the Netherlands despite not qualifying!

Group Winner odds

Belgium 8/11
England 5/4
Tunisia 28/1
Panama 94/1

All odds courtesy of Betfair

Belgium had no such problems. They dropped just two points and scored an astonishing 43 goals – the joint most of any European team. Tunisia, meanwhile, topped their qualifying group thanks to picking up four points in two dogged displays against the Democratic Republic of Congo, their closest rivals. Lastly, Panama came third in CONCACAF and edged out the United States thanks to an infamous ‘phantom’ goal against Costa Rica.

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HOW WILL ENGLAND LINE-UP?

England’s back three started as an experiment but has now become their go-to formation. Southgate has drawn influence from both Chelsea and Spurs, favouring a fluid and flexible 3-4-3. Kyle Walker has somewhat surprisingly excelled as an unorthodox centre-back, and, alongside Man City teammate John Stones, provides the playmaking and forward passing to compensate for England’s lack of such a figure in the middle of the pitch.

In big games, expect both Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson to be deployed to shut down the midfield, but England can afford to be more adventurous against Panama and Tunisia by playing Dele and Lingard together, offering even more movement in and around Kane. Should Southgate go for the bolder approach, Dier is the more vulnerable of the midfield options after several ponderous displays. Gary Cahill and Ashley Young have made late plays for a spot in the starting XI, while Jordan Pickford appears to have claimed the No.1 jersey.

WHO SHOULD ENGLAND FEAR?

England know all about Belgium and their horde of Premier League stars (Picture: Getty)

Belgium are the top seeds in Group G and for good reason. They boast three of the Premier League’s best centre-backs, the division’s best midfielder in Kevin De Bruyne – who would have been crowned Player of the Year but for Mohamed Salah – as well as Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku up front. Together, the latter pairing scored 17 goals in qualifying; by contrast, England top scorer Kane only netted five times. They are powerful, technical and genuine World Cup contenders, and Southgate’s decision to deploy a back three feels like a direct consequence of drawing Belgium, who play the same formation under Roberto Martinez. Beyond the Red Devils, Tunisia’s injury-ravaged side and Panama should offer little threat to England… but that’s been said plenty of times before.